Plastic materials are widely used in various plumbing applications. The various kinds of plastics that may be used include materials such as ABS and PVC materials. An advantage of plastic piping is the cost savings that can be realized from the use of inexpensive materials. Plastic pipe also offers labor advantages in that plastic materials can be quickly cut and assembled to fit the specifications of a given job. On the other hand, plastic pipe suffers from a drawback in the area of aesthetics; plastic pipe is not perceived as being attractive in its manufactured condition. Further, plastic materials can degrade when exposed to ultraviolet light such as sunlight. Hence, plastic pipe is often used in applications where it is hidden from sight. It is generally not desired to use plastic materials that will be visible and/or exposed to ultraviolet rays.
In the area of drainage control, spouts or nozzles may be specified with a high architectural value. These spouts are generally aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. The spouts function to direct water away from the building so as to avoid pooling of water near the foundation. The spouts are often highly visible and exposed to the elements. Thus, drain spouts are frequently formed, such as by casting, of an attractive metal or alloy such as bronze, brass, or aluminum.
However, a disadvantage of a metallic drain spout is the time and effort required to affix it to the upstream rainwater drainage system. For example, collection and gathering piping that leads drainage water to the downspout may be plastic pipe. As currently practiced, it requires a laborious and time consuming effort to connect the metal spout to the plastic pipe. One such method practiced is to use a coupling assembly. The coupling assembly is an additional, separate component from the spout and the drainage pipe. The coupling is affixed to both the pipe and the spout in order to provide a fluid path. It would be desired to find a quick and economical means of joining a metallic spout to plastic pipe that avoids the use of additional component pieces.
Present methods of attaching metallic drain spouts to plastic pipe are also time consuming for an additional reason. Frequently a plumber must make a trip to the construction site while the wall where the spout will be attached is being built. This is so that the plumber can coordinate with the mason or builder where the wall line will be, information that is needed in order to properly rough in the spout for a clean finish product. This trip to fit the spout is frequently a separate trip that cannot be combined with the more typical rough plumbing and finish plumbing trips that a plumber makes to the construction site. Thus it would be desired to develop a new drain spout and method of attachment that avoids the necessity of extra construction trips.
Additionally, the present method of attaching metal spouts results in wasted space. It is frequently desired to save the space required in wall thickness, for example, so that the building owner achieves a higher occupancy square footage and/or reduced construction materials. It would be desired to develop a drain spout that minimizes the required thickness for a wall that contains the drain pipe to which the spout is attached.
Hence there has been identified a need to provide an improved method and means for connecting metal drain spouts to plastic drainage pipe. It is desired that the method and means be compatible with existing plumbing methods and materials. It is also desired that the method be relatively inexpensive and quick to apply. It is further desired that the method be designed so that it will provide a robust and firm attachment to the pipe. Finally, it is further desired that the method and means achieve cost and performance advantages over alternative linkage methods. The present invention addresses one or more of these needs.